Frequently Asked Questions about Experimental Procedure and Data Analysis Independent Research Paper Taylor 2010-11
How do I write the procedure? The procedure is written as a detailed summary paragraph, that includes metric measurements, and detailed descriptions of materials.
How many times do I repeat the experiment? The experimental design diagram expects 5 levels of independent variable and at least 3 trials at each level. For example, if the experiment is asking about the effect of light on plants, set up at least 3 plants at 5 different light levels.
How do I organize the data? First decide what kind of data will be collected. Chapter 8, page 85 – 104 of Students and Research contains a complete description of types of variables and data collection. Construct a data table for the raw data that includes a section for statistical analysis.
How do I construct a Table to summarize the statistical information? The Table must be numbered and titled. For example:
Table 1 The effect of different light levels on Artemisia annua. The levels of independent variable are displayed along with central tendency, variation and number of samples tested at each level. See page 91 of Students and Research.
How do I display the data? See page 97 of Students and Research for a complete explanation of graphic displays of different categories of independent and dependent variables. This table also describes measures of central tendency and dispersion/variation for variables. For the purpose of the Final Paper, graphic displays are called Figures.
What are the rules for Figures? A figure also needs to be numbered and titled. For example:
Figure 1 The effect of different light levels on Artemisia annua. If the figure is a graph, the axes must be labeled with the independent (X axis) and dependent variables (Y axis) and units included. Consult Table 8.7, page 97 of Students and Research to decide if the figure should be a line graph, bar graph or frequency distribution.
Independent Research Paper
Taylor 2010-11
- How do I construct a Table to summarize the statistical information? The Table must be numbered and titled. For example:
Table 1 The effect of different light levels on Artemisia annua.The levels of independent variable are displayed along with central tendency, variation and number of samples tested at each level. See page 91 of Students and Research.
Figure 1 The effect of different light levels on Artemisia annua.
If the figure is a graph, the axes must be labeled with the independent (X axis) and dependent variables (Y axis) and units included. Consult Table 8.7, page 97 of Students and Research to decide if the figure should be a line graph, bar graph or frequency distribution.